With an image positioning device, the spatial aspect of images can be varied. In the following, the term "image" is to be understood as a flat presentation either transparent or opaque, being made, for instance, by photography or printing.
An image positioning device for example, can be used for the flipping through plates of books, photo albums and the like. Especially however, it is employed for moving picture animation. In the case of a moving picture animation, the observer undergoes the effects called up by a continually changing image, i.e., an animated picture. For this purpose, a plurality of images which are non-changing during a time period (motionless images) is used. Such images are exhibited to the observer in quick sequence. Images in sequence differentiate themselves respectively only infinitesimally from one another, but from the view point of an observer, the impression of fluid motion arises.
An image positioning device has been disclosed by WO 93144-85. This proposes to employ a plurality of strips superimposed on one another running over a pair of rollers. Each strip exhibits a rapid sequence of images, each being a still-image, but providing a sense of motion. Seen from the exposed surface, there arises the impression of a combined moving image, which composes itself from the aligned, visually superimposing, single moving images of the sequence of still-images of each strip. Among other things, the complicated manipulation and the considerable expense of the associated device are disadvantageous.
A less expensive image positioning device is, for example, a so-called "Thumb-movie". In this case there are several flat surface elements, for instance several paper pages, arranged one above the other and rotatably coupled at one end with each other. In each case, the front sides, and/or the rear sides of the paper plates carry images, that is, still-images for a moving image animation. The complicated circumstances of handling this arrangement is also a disadvantage.
DE-PS-9 21 734 discloses an expensive image positioning device, in which image carrying, zig-zag prefolded strips, with the help of a pulling roller, are unfolded and again refolded together.
DE-OS 15 22 271 brings into common knowledge an equally expensive image positioning device where the ends of a plurality of surface elements, each carrying an image and coupled on a carrier band, are run over a roller and a guide bar.